Boeing Spacecraft Carrying Astronauts Lifts Off on Maiden Voyage; Hunter Biden’s Gun Trial Continues

Boeing launched astronauts for the first time on June 5, belatedly joining SpaceX as a second taxi service for NASA. A pair of NASA test pilots blasted off aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule for the International Space Station, the first to fly the new spacecraft. The trip by Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams was expected to take 25 hours, with an arrival Thursday. They will spend just over a week at the orbiting lab before climbing back into Starliner for a remote desert touchdown in the western U.S. on June 14.

Tensions are escalating on the Israel-Lebanon border as the Israeli military warned it was prepared to launch a large-scale attack in the north to deter the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. Cross-border attacks from Lebanon led to large fires blazing through Israel’s northern region this week, consuming swathes of land and leading to the evacuation of residents. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the northern city of Kiryat Shmona near the Lebanese border, saying that Israel is prepared for “very intense action” in the north.

First son Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial continues in Wilmington, Delaware with Kathleen Buhle, Hunter’s ex-wife, taking the stand. Her testimony comes after the defense team cross examined the prosecutor’s first witness, FBI special agent Erika Jensen. Jensen introduced key evidence, including Hunter Biden's laptop. Both sides laid the groundwork of their case in opening statements Tuesday, as they battled over the fundamental issue at play: whether Hunter Biden purchased a gun while addicted to drugs.